


Entirety

by K_Hanna_Korossy



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-31
Updated: 2016-01-31
Packaged: 2018-05-17 08:10:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5860966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/K_Hanna_Korossy/pseuds/K_Hanna_Korossy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tag to "Entity." Jack and Daniel get a few things straight.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Entirety

First published in _Redemption 8_ (2009) 

Daniel stood inside the infirmary doorway and silently observed. It was hard to believe it’d only been, what, an hour before that he’d stood in that same doorway? He’d come then to report on the imminent demise of the machine “body” the base intruder had built for itself before it had taken over Sam. It had left her lying lifeless in the infirmary with a silent, stone-faced Jack sitting and watching over her. So much had changed since then, Sam’s mind recovered out of the machine and restoring life to her body, but the tableau before Daniel was almost the same as it had been an hour before. Sam lay in sleep now instead of machine-driven life, but Jack still sat his impassive watch.

Not oblivious, though. “You coming in?”

And here he thought his approach had been soundless. Daniel stepped inside, hesitated, then finally dragged a stool over from the wall and settled onto it beside Jack. “I wasn’t sure you wanted company.”

“You’re family, too, Daniel.”

It was said matter-of-factly, which along with the choice of terminology would have warmed Daniel if not for the weariness in Jack’s tone. Not that he had much experience with them, but families could be draining, too, Daniel knew.

He shifted on his stool, trying to get comfortable, and a jab in his side reminded him partly of why he’d come. Daniel pulled the object out of his pocket and offered it to Jack.

“Banana?”

The silvered head slowly turned to look. “Why, yes, it is.”

Daniel groaned. “Don’t be an ass, Jack. I know you haven’t eaten anything since breakfast.”

A thousand possible playful or grateful or softening answers were discarded for the simple act of accepting the banana and slowly beginning to peel it. Not terribly revealing, as far as reactions went. Daniel watched the peeling for a few moments, then switched his gaze to Sam.

“She’s looking a lot better.”

“Yup.”

A fourth of the now-disrobed banana disappeared in one bite. “Janet said she’ll probably release Sam when she wakes up.”

Unhurried chewing.

Daniel made a face. “Look, I…I might have been wrong.”

One eyebrow went up, and Jack met his eyes for the first time since he’d come into the room. Guilelessly, the colonel said, “Dr. Jackson, wrong?”

“In negotiating with the…the entity. I still don’t think threats are usually the way to go, but this time…I guess that was what was necessary.”

“Well, I’m so glad you approve.” The mocking tone hadn’t faded.

“Actually, I don’t, not with the idea that we should have blasted it to begin with. Jack, we’ve lost the chance to communicate with a whole civilization. That’s not something I take lightly.”

The banana was now down to half and Jack didn’t seem in a hurry to respond, but around a really unappetizing mouthful of chewed fruit, he did. “See, here’s where we’re different. I’m not willing to give up somebody from my team for some principle, or for a bunch of aliens who might be either trying to communicate with us or kills us. This is family, Daniel, _my_ family.”

Daniel drew back, stung. “You think I would just give up one of you guys without a fight? That’s not what this is about, Jack—what I wanted didn’t matter. It was about what was right.”

“Principles.” It was said with a snort.

“Yes, principles. The same principles Sam believes in. Why don’t you ask her when she wakes up?”

“Yeah, well, get this, Jackson—my principle is, I don’t lose anyone I don’t have to. That’s my priority.”

The banana, Daniel realized, was getting a little squashed in Jack’s tight grip. And his automatic reply died as that small detail somehow spoke to him in a way Jack’s words hadn’t.

They had all suffered losses along the way, probably part of the reason they’d bonded so closely as a team…and a family. But Teal’c had his son, Sam her father and brother. Daniel had had only his beliefs and passions to draw strength from, and Jack his duty. And at the end of the day, Daniel wasn’t about to give up his beliefs. But Jack… How many times had Jack twisted and bent duty in order to save his team? He’d never made any bones about where his priorities lay; only the safety of the planet or those they were protecting came before SG-1, and even General Hammond knew and accepted that.

So why, Daniel wondered, was he having such trouble with it, especially when he was usually on the good side of that equation? And maybe a better question: did Jack think the same about him and his beliefs? Because Daniel could no more give those up than he could stop breathing…and yet, he hadn’t really felt like he was breathing at all until he found his place here with this team. His family.

Daniel leaned forward, elbows on knees, eyes on his fingernails as he asked, “You, uh, don’t think that I wanted Sam—”

“No.” The banana squirted out of its peel to plop onto the floor. Daniel watched it roll over and then lie there, a spot of color on the bland tile. After a moment of intent scrutiny of Daniel, Jack also turned to look at the fruit. “You don’t think…just because it was Carter…”

It took him a few beats to realize what Jack wasn’t saying, but then Daniel’s face screwed up. “No! Of course not. I’ve seen you fight just as hard for Teal’c.”

“Or you.” Quiet now.

“Or me,” Daniel repeated softly.

“So.” Jack bent down, picked up the banana, blew on it…and took another bite. “The moral of the story is, we see things differently, huh?”

“Yeah. Like, I would never eat something off the infirmary floor,” Daniel said in fascinated disgust.

“I’ve had worse.”

Come to think of it, so had he. Daniel shook his head. “So, the next entity that comes along…”

“We blow it up.”

“Jack—”

“After you talk to it and Carter tries a couple of things and you argue with me for a while.”

“And you listen.”

“Usually.”

“Then, we blow it up.”

“Yup.” The banana was gone, polished off with satisfied relish.

Daniel sighed. “So, back to business as usual.”

Jack thought about that a second. “Pretty much, yeah.” A sidelong glance at Daniel. “You okay with that?”

He had to think about it for a minute. He wasn’t always okay with the arguing or Jack sometimes not listening to him part. Then again, Daniel didn’t carry the weight of responsibility Jack did, either, which was sometimes easy to forget in the heat of passion. And was it really so bad to have someone who would fight a whole planet for you?

No. He’d counted on that fierce devotion too often in the past to turn hypocrite now and denounce it. His principles had been bent and battered over time, too; they could stretch to accommodate one world-weary, good-hearted colonel. Jack wasn’t asking for agreement, after all, just obedience, and…

“Yeah, I’m okay with that.” Usually.

Jack looked at him as if he’d heard the unspoken caveat, but it seemed to be another difference he could accept because he finally nodded, offering Daniel a small smile. And the empty banana peel.

“Thanks,” he said dryly.

“Don’t mention it.”

And Daniel didn’t, just sat back to wait with Jack for the rest of the family to join them.

The End


End file.
